Fluff Month
by thecrazydragonlady15
Summary: It's Fluff Month! Since I am too fluffy for my own good, I'm going to share it with you all! These will be a series of one-shots written by me and, unless otherwise stated, they will be unrelated. You can check out the schedule for the month at: miraculousfluffmonth. tumblr. com/.
1. Blush

**Summary: Chat Noir can't be more relieved or happy that Marinette is okay after a nasty akuma attack. However, hugging her tightly means that he can't see just how red her face is turning in his embrace….**

Marinette sighed, pulling her shirt into place as she finished changing for the night. She was exhausted. And rightfully so. Hawkmoth had sent out a nasty akuma, one who called himself the Constructor, and it had taken her and Chat Noir several hours to stop him. She winced as her fingers brushed her sides. Before she had been able to transform, the akuma had set off some demolition grade explosions, causing her to go flying and smacking hard into a nearby wall; Chat had seen this, and she remembered him rushing to her aid, cradling her in his arms, as he begged for her to be alright. Her memory was a little fuzzy then. She could make out his form but couldn't see the details.

"I'm alright," she assured him. "I'm alright Chat Noir. Go get the akuma."

He didn't leave though. Instead, he picked her up carefully, carrying her over the Paris' skyline and right to her home where he opened the light-hatch to her room and gently deposited her inside. Her mind swum a bit but she was sure she heard him tell her to stay put. He would handle everything.

She nodded. Waiting a few moments, she sat up on the bed and shook her head. Tikki flew out of hiding. "Are you alright Marinette?"

"I think so," she moaned. She hissed as she moved a bit, realizing then what she knew now. "But either way, we can't wait any longer. Chat's going to need our help. Tikki, spots on!" Once Ladybug showed up on the scene, it took a little bit of time to get the akuma captured considering getting close was a little difficult because of the explosions. However, one lucky charm and a smashed helmet later, the Constructor was no more and they were pounding fist. Chat didn't look happy though. She frowned, "Chat, what's wrong?"

"It's my friend," he confessed, "You know? Marinette? I think I'm going to feed my kwami real quick and then go check on her. She got hit pretty hard." Ladybug smiled.

"I'm sure she's alright Chat. Mari's a tough girl."

He paused. "Still… I want to make sure." He waved a hand at her as he took off. She sighed.

"Guess that means I better go get showered and changed real fast before that silly cat shows up."

And with that thought, she returned to her present point in time. She placed a hand on her side, checking for a broken rib (which she knew the feeling of considering she'd suffered one a while back) but when she didn't feel anything similar, she was content with diagnosing herself as just having a bruised side. A knock on her roof door interrupted her thoughts again. Keeping her hand there, she carefully climbed to the top and opened it. Chat was kneeling on the ground, his tail switching back and forth in the air behind him. He smiled down at her.

"Hey purrincess," he greeted. She smiled up at him, releasing her side to climb out to join him. Once she was, he eyed her over, his tail moving slowly behind him and she mused at how much emotion the thing actually showed. He looked calm but it said otherwise.

That's when it hit her at how concerned he actually was.

Chat cleared his throat, "I came to see how you are. You got hit pretty hard earlier." She waved a hand.

"Yeah. I've got some light bruising but nothing I can't power through." She wrung her hands together, hoping he bought the lie. "Thanks for helping me earlier." It was his turn to wave a hand.

"What's a hero for?" They fell silent. A gentle breeze brushed her hair back and he realized that for once, she had it down and it glistened. She'd just come from a shower. The space between them wasn't awkward by any stretch of the imagination; it was peaceful and calm and he was glad for it. He was gladder that she was alright.

He couldn't lie, he really had been concerned.

The cool part of being a hero was the suit kept him from receiving some pretty nasty bruises like the time he'd basically become a human pinball during the Stormy Weather incident and that didn't included the other numerous times he'd been the akuma's punching bag for LB while she did her thing. Civilians are different though. They are… squishy. Yeah, super squishy and getting blown back by an akuma explosion is a recipe for life ending situations. The thought made him shudder. He couldn't imagine a world without Marinette in it; she brought so much happiness to the people around her. It wouldn't be the same without her. A hand on his shoulder drew his eyes up to her face. Her brow was knitted. "Chat? Are you alright?" He didn't respond. Instead, he turned, catching her in an embrace. Mari was shocked to say the least. A huge blush broke out on her face and for a moment, she was frozen in place. Slowly, she wrapped her arms around him.

"I'm so glad," he breathed. "I'm so glad you're alright." Mari's expression softened even though the blush didn't fade. After a few moments, he held her back at arm's length, "Just promise me something? Be more careful in the future, okay?" She stared him long and hard in the face before nodding.

"I promise."

When he was satisfied that she was just as serious as he was, he nodded and released her. "Time for me to go Purrincess. I'll see you around." He paused. "Oh, and you should ice that injury. It'll help in the long run." He gave her a salute before running to the end of the balcony and jumping into the night. Mari walked to the railing, watching him go. Tikki flew out of hiding in her room. She smiled at her chosen as she sat on her shoulder.

"That was nice of Chat to come check on you." She nodded, holding her side. That sneaky cat. He'd been checking her for an injury with that hug. Tikki looked up when she chuckled. "Marinette?"

"It's nothing," she waved off. "But I think I'm going to follow his advice and put a little ice on my side before bed."


	2. Goodnight Kisses

_Summary: Adrien's been having some nightmares. Maybe a spotted heroine can help the bad dreams go away with a goodnight kiss…._

 **Author's Notes: Day 2 of Fluff Month is "Goodnight Kisses!" I had so much fun writing. Enjoy!**

Ladybug gasped when she saw Adrien shoot up in his bed, a scream clearly caught in his throat, his eyes wide even from the distance she was at. He looked around. When nothing came to help him, he tucked his knees under his chin, rocking a bit back and forth. Her hands stayed over her mouth. Never had she'd seen him look so weak or defenseless but she also knew that she couldn't just stand here staring; she was supposed to be on patrol but she supposed Chat wouldn't be too upset with her once she explained why she took some time out of her duty to comfort a hurting citizen….

She swung herself over to his window. In the past, she'd just kind of gone through the window but he wasn't in his room at the time. This time, she knocked.

Adrien's face shot up and now that she was closer, she could see that his cheeks were red and his eyes were a bit swollen. He swallowed hard. Scrambling from under his covers, he quietly ran to her to open the window, "Ladybug! What are you doing here?"

"I was on patrol," she explained, "but I happened to see you wake up suddenly. Mind if I come in?" He nodded, moving out of the way. Ladybug swung a bit to clear the window frame and she pulled her yo-yo back to her. The room was just as she remembered it but somehow, it looked gloomier, less inviting, than it did during the day. She placed her weapon back on her hip. Eyeing him, she had to bite back a giggle. Adrien was wearing a "I 3 Ladybug" t-shirt with matching red and black pants. His hair was sticking up in every which way which reminded her of a certain cat-themed partner but she nudge the notion away. She was here to worry about Adrien who looked like he needed some worrying over. She motioned to his PJs. "I like your outfit." He blinked, looked down, and turned scarlet, covering his face with his hands.

"I-I can explain…." She smiled.

"It's alright. I understand."

"You… do?" She nodded.

"Sure." She winked. "After all, I have a couple of pictures on my bedroom wall of a certain model." His face stayed scarlet and he used the back of a hand to cover his mouth. She stepped closer. "Which is part of the reason I'm worried Adrien. You don't look good."

Well, if my crush wasn't standing nearly on top of me and admitting she has my face plastered to my wall, I might be way better, he thought. Instead, he sighed, "I'm alright. Just had a nightmare. I get them from time to time."

She took his hand. Adrien shivered at the contact and he knew his heart was racing. If she didn't hear it, it was a miracle. "Do you want to talk about it," she asked softly. He froze. Squeezing her hand, he nodded. They moved to his couch, sitting so that their knees were touching, and the soft moonlight casted itself on their features. She frowned a bit. He had bags under his eyes, a feature she hadn't noticed at school. He probably wore some make-up to help hide them. She reached up slowly and cupped his cheek. "How long has this been going on?"

"A week," he admitted. He paused, unsure where to start. Eventually he chose, "My mom disappeared a year ago tomorrow." Ladybug blinked. "That last week she was home was one of the happiest. We did all sorts of things together. Baked cookies, played the piano, pulled a couple of pranks on dad… and every night this week, the dreams start out with those things." His face twisted. "But then they turn." He held up a hand. "So far I've seen my mom dead, in a jail cell, being held captive, being tortured…."

"None of that's true," she assured him, squeezing his other hand. He sighed, covering her hand with the hand he'd been using to count, looking at the ground.

"I wish I could be sure. It's been a year and there's been nothing…."

"I'm sure your mom is alright." Pause. "I don't know where she is but I'm sure she has a good reason for being away. I'm sure she misses you so much. I'm sure she'd rather be here with you. If we tell her about this in the future, she might even be sad that she wasn't the one here to comfort you." He looked up. Hope sparkled in his eyes. He licked his lips.

"Are you sure?"

Ladybug, just following the natural flow of things, pulled him close and gave him a tight hug. It took him a second but eventually he responded in kind, hugging her tight around the middle as the tears threatened his eyes. She whispered to him, "I'm sure Adrien."

The tears fell without his permission then.

She rocked him back and forth as he cried, holding on to her for dear life. Time passed. He wasn't sure how long they stayed like that but it was long enough to help him feel better and drowsy. Drowsy enough to start nodding his head when he pushed himself away from Ladybug. She smiled and brushed some hair off of his bangs. "Think you're ready to try to sleep again?" He nodded. They stood but he wobbled so Ladybug scooped him up princess style (he'd freak out about it in the morning) and carried him to the bed, tucking him in nice and tight. She paused. Slowly, she leaned down and planted a gentle kiss to his temple. She lingered, relishing in the softness of his skin and the warmth that radiated from it; he didn't respond having fallen asleep the instant he'd touched the bed.

"Bonne nuit Adrien," she whispered. He turned a bit but otherwise didn't respond. Ladybug smiled, glad she'd been able to help, and saw herself out, unaware that Adrien was wide awake and totally not going back to bed for some time.


	3. Sweets

_Summary: Alya takes a little trip down memory lane and baking with her mom._

 **Author's Notes: I am giving a special thanks to the-dark-black-angel on Tumblr for giving me the idea! Enjoy!**

Alya tied the apron around her waist, making sure to secure it tight so it didn't go flying off in the middle of their baking and get her clothing ruined. She also made sure to put her hair up and out of the way. Taking one last glance in the mirror to assure herself that everything was up and out of the way, the young woman started to leave her room but stopped when her eyes glanced over a picture; it was old but well preserved behind glass in a simple oaken frame her mom had brought home the day after it was taken. She picked it up. There were two people in it: the first was a rounded face woman with dark hair pulled back in a bun, wide lips turned up in a smile, and the same, medium brown skin as the child who sat next to her, face covered in dough and sugar, her mouth open to reveal a missing tooth, and her wild, curly hair tamed back into two buns. There was dough everywhere. On the woman, on the child, on the counter in front of them. Neither seemed to have escaped Scott-free from what appeared to be a yeasty massacre in their kitchen.

She remembered that night well.

They were celebrating really. That was the night her mom had revealed to her that she was going to be a big sister and in her excitement, she wanted to bake cookies for her sibling to eat. Marlena smiled. She patted Alya's head, scooped her up, and poked her nose with, "How about we make the cookies for us? They won't be good when your brother or sister comes." Her face dropped. She felt like crying until Marlena pulled her face up. "Don't worry; we'll make a whole new batch after they come."

The little girl nodded excitedly.

Together, they went into the kitchen where hairs were wrangled into place, aprons tied on, and materials gathered. Marlena grabbed a stool for Alya to sit on. Once everything was ready, she smiled and told her, "Okay, the first thing that needs to happen is measuring out the ingredients. Can you put a cup and one-fourth in this bowl?" She leaned her head to the side. Her mom didn't miss a beat. She grabbed the large measuring cup and a dry erase marker she had and marked the one-fourth line, setting it down in front of her daughter. "Fill this all the way to the top. Pour it into the bowl with the butter. Then, fill to this line," she pointed to the drawn on line, "the second time. Repeat it."

"Fill to the top," Alya repeated, "Pour in with the… the…," she scanned the gathered goods until she saw what she needed, "the butter! Fill to this line." Marlena clapped her hands.

"Good job Alya!" She gave her a kiss on the forehead. "While you do that, I'll preheat the oven." She nodded. While the older woman went to turn on the oven, the little girl reached for the bag labeled in big print 'Sugar.' It was a might heavy but she grunted, standing on the stool, and grabbed it with both hands. Once in place, she opened the top all the way, positioned herself over the top of the measuring cup, and poured.

And poured.

And poured.

Until it was filled all the way to the top and then some. She stopped pouring and grabbed the cup, dumping the white crystals into the bowl with the softened butter (not, of course without having a taste to make sure she had the right bag) before repeating the process but, this time, watching the crystals climb higher and higher to the blue marked line. Once it did, she pulled the bag away. Marlena chuckled. "Goodness Alya. Did you have trouble with the bag?"

"No mama," she chirped. Marlena ducked down to narrow her eyes at the young girl's pouring. Alya shifted nervously. When she stood, she smiled.

"Good job Alya! Pour that in with the butter and I'll get the mixer." She nodded and did as asked. Marlena came back a few minutes later with an electric mixer that she plugged in and held in front of Alya while she stood behind her. She swallowed nervously. "We'll do this together okay? Can you turn it on? Just be careful not to go too fast…." Before she could finish her warning, Alya flipped the switch, sending the thing into top speed. Sugar flew everywhere. Both of them cried out, neither of them were ready but Marlena reacted better by ripping the thing out of the bowl, holding it in the air as she shut it off. Alya opened her eyes. She blinked. "Mama? Why'd it go dark?" There came a soft chuckle from her, and the sound of the mixer being set down. Alya continued to blink when the lights came back on but everything was blurry. Marlena did something she couldn't see before putting her glasses back on her face with a smile; Alya's mouth dropped. "Mama! You're all white!" Her smile didn't dim as she pretended to flip a piece of hair back over her shoulder.

"Don't you know? It's the latest style! How do I look?" Alya giggled.

"Beautiful!"

"Just like my daughter," she teased, holding up the mixing bowl to show her. Alya stared at the distorted image only to find that the face looking back at her was covered in white all in her hair and down to her chin. She shook her head quickly back and forth. Marlena cried, "Hey!" When the sugar settled they stared at each other and then proceeded to giggle. They redid everything they'd done but managed to get a little farther (creaming the butter and sugar, beat in the egg and vanilla, adding the dry ingredients) before things got messy again. Alya tried. She really did but even with flour on her hands and non-stick oil on the tray, she ended up getting a smear of dough on her face and put a small dot on her mom's nose. Another fit of giggles. While the cookies were baking, which took about ten minutes, they cleaned the dishes and cleared the counter to let them cool. The timer went off with a ding. Alya gasped and ran to the oven but Marlena grabbed the back of her shirt. "Stand back Alya. You don't want to get burned. Let me get them."

She nodded. Standing out of the way, Alya watched as her mom pulled the hot trays out of the oven and set them on the counter. She slowly moved each cookie off to cooling racks. When she was done, she moved the still hot trays to another counter so Alya could approach the cookies. She climbed back on her stool. Marlena gave her a tight squeeze. "Look baby! You did it!"

"Can I have one mama? Please?"

She poked her nose. "You have to give it some time to cool but then one, or two," she winked, "won't hurt before dinner." They heard a slamming door and looked up in time to see a shorter, balding man entered. He beamed at the two of them.

"Looks like you two had fun today," he noted.

"Hi daddy," Alya cheered. He blew her a kiss before walking into another room, coming back with an instant camera.

"Get together my two lovely ladies. Let's take a picture to celebrate!" Marlena hugged close to Alya who opened her mouth in a wide toothy grin. Both were still covered in sugar and dough.

It was one of the greatest days ever.

"Alya," a voice interrupted. She blinked from her thoughts and turned, finding the twins Ella and Etta standing at the door, both in matching aprons. "Are you ready yet? We want to learn to make cookies! You promised!" She knelt down next to both of them, placing a gentle hand on their shoulders.

"Then what are we waiting for? Let's go bake!" The two girls cheered. Grabbing a hand each, they dragged her off to the kitchen where they proceeded to bake sugar cookies.

When they were done, Otis made sure to pull out the old instant camera and take another picture which she had framed the next day and sat it on her dresser, right next to the photo of her and her mother.


	4. Please Stay

_Summary: Mylène is a little shaken after the most recent akuma attack and it's a wonderful thing Ivan's around to help make it better._

She sniffed, wiping the tears from her eyes, breathing deep, just glad that Ladybug and Chat Noir had managed to rid Paris of Spidra, a spider based akuma who covered a whole chunk of the city in spider webs and many, many, MANY of the creepy crawlies. She shivered. Wrapping her arms around herself, she tried to keep the nightmares away. True, Mylène wasn't brave. Not like Ladybug who faced off against Hawkmoth every day. She fit more onto the timid side but she knew that even she had her strengths but facing… spiders… was not one of them. She shivered again. Another tear escaped her eye.

A shadow crossed in over her. She jerked, looking up into the face of the mountain of a boy that was Ivan. He was hunched a bit, twiddling his fingers as he stood looking at her. She smiled. Ivan, while big, was nothing but a teddy bear; she'd learned the hard way when he'd been turned into Stoneheart not once but twice all because he wanted to be her boyfriend.

"Umm Mylène," he asked softly. "Are you alright?" She wiped another tear away from her face.

"I-I'm alright," she assured him. He blinked, still twiddling his thumbs. They fell silent for a few moments and then he started to inch away.

"Ummm okay… I'll… uh… go…."

"No," she cut in. "Please, stay." She patted the seat next to her and moved down a bit to give him room. He hesitated but eventually sat. The height difference between them was ridiculous but it wasn't awkward; many of their classmates had even commented on how cute it actually was.

That comment always made them blush.

Ivan cleared his throat. "I know you don't like spiders. You must have been really scared by that akuma." She sniffed, nodding.

"Yeah," she noted. He reached out then and covered her hand with his. Mylène's shot up. He wasn't looking at her but she could see the deep blush on his cheeks.

"I think you were really brave today," he noted. "You helped Rose and Juleka get away even though you were scared." He paused. "But know that I'm here for you."

A wide grin broke out on her lips. She leaned in, resting her head on the top of his arm, closing her eyes contently. Ivan went stiff. It was too bad that Mylène's eyes were closed; she completely missed him going red from the base of his neck up to his hairline, eyes wide, and hands tense as he tried to keep from moving. Eventually he relaxed, smiling down at her.

A few minutes later, Alya came by to take a picture of a sleeping Ivan, his head leaned to the side, and Mylène still on his arm.

She made sure to give them each a copy the following day.


	5. Firsts

**_Disclaimers: MY STORY IS NOT ALLOWED TO BE COPIED, EDITED WITH ACTUAL NAMES, AND/ OR BE REPOSTED ANYWHERE._**

 _Summary: Pick your pair and insert their names._

The first time they met, it was when they were younger. At the park, at school, somewhere with a lot of green; it made the air around them seem brighter for some reason.

The first time they hugged, it was on a rainy day. One of them was crying (if you ask, they still argue about who it actually was). A hug was definitely needed.

The first time they realized their faces turned red around each other, it was a surprise. They didn't think the other would appreciate their feelings so they both stayed silent.

Thankfully, not for long.

The first time they kissed, it was hard. They leaned in close, eyes closing on the both of them, but they smacked noses and then foreheads and managed to kiss all other places except the lips. It brought giggles to their throat.

Eventually they got it right.

The first time they said, "I love you" was in unison, hidden under the stairs, hugging tight, and praying no one heard them even though most of the school had and thought it was the cutest thing in the world.

The first time they skipped class was in their second year. They hid away in an unused classroom, cuddling and kissing, and just enjoying each other's presence.

The first time they went on a date, it was really simple. They started by meeting at the school, then, hand-in-hand, they went to the park, got some ice cream, sat on a bench in the sun warming their faces. They especially enjoyed the taste from each other's lips when their dessert melted and ended up there. Then one of them, they don't remember who, got the smart idea to start a tickle fight. It turned out that there were some people actually watching and they all found it completely funny, a little odd, and completely adorable.

The first time they met each other's parents was nerve wracking. Dinner was pleasant but their heart was pounding several thousand miles a minute. If their face wasn't red, they would be completely surprised and they secretly held hands under the table when they thought when the older people weren't looking (but they were, they saw, they knew, and it made them smile without saying a word to either of them about it).

Their first time together was during a thunderstorm; the moment, the passion, the heat, everything had been so _right_ and they were so drunk off of love.

The first time they cried in years was after the proposal.

The first time they let anyone outside of them see their silly dancing was at the reception of their wedding. A lot of blackmail videos were taken that night.

The first time they held their child was the first night of no sleep. A smile crossed their faces.

Despite all the firsts, it wasn't the first time that they realized that they were so happy.

 _MLMLMLMLML_

 **Author's Notes: There are so many good ships in the ML fandom and I'll try to write on a lot of them before the end of Fluff Month but I wanted to have something in case I didn't. Really, this story is flexible to go to any fandom you want.**

 **That being said** ** _MY STORY IS NOT ALLOWED TO BE COPIED, EDITED WITH ACTUAL NAMES, AND/ OR BE REPOSTED ANYWHERE._**

 **Gonna get that out the way. Guys, have fun with it but don't be rude to me. I spent two hours writing this and arguably, because I name no actual characters, this is my own original work so I own copyright over it and I will sue you if needed. :) Please don't drive me to that point.**


	6. Blanket Fort

_Summary: A post-reveal sleep over is exactly what the doctor calls for when Adrien's day is a little rough_.

 **Here's my work for Day 6 of Fluff Month! Apparently I have a thing for post reveal blanket fort fluff.**

Adrien had had rough days before. That much was true; especially considering the last year of his life alone and more issues in his life than he can count on his two hands. However, it didn't mean he had to be used to it. He was only human, despite the superhero get-up, and as such, he needed a break every now and then.

And what better place to get it than at his girlfriend's home?

His heart swelled at the thought. After a year of fighting Hawkmoth together, Chat Noir and Ladybug, with a lot of guiding encouragement from Master Fu, had decided to reveal their identities and much to their astonishment, it had been each other, Adrien Agreste and Marinette Dupain-Cheng, who greeted them from the other side of the masks. He hadn't been able to contain his excitement. Mari had been hesitant. It stung at first when she asked for a few days to gather her thoughts but it was so worth it. She'd come to, first as Ladybug then Marinette, confessing her confusion and her worries about where they were heading but in the end, she decided that if she didn't risk anything now, she would regret it for the rest of her life.

So, he made sure she didn't regret anything. Adrien tried his best to be the best boyfriend ever but he was so new to this world. His only real role model was an anime character who never actually was seen dating. Marinette was patient and kind about it; she too was a little new to the world of being a girlfriend but she made sure that they were always talking. Communication, she'd learned, was the key.

Shortly after they started dating, Adrien had come to school distressed. His father had said something about dating a girl that was below his status and he was upset at the idea that anyone couldn't like Marinette. They'd argued. Especially because his father had even acknowledged her talent during the derby competition. He didn't want to tell her at first. But she quickly forced it out of him anyway, resulting in a soft library crying session and a very stern lecture towards his father that afternoon.

Needless to say, Mr. Agreste had been very impressed. He now approved of their relationship.

Chat landed on the balcony, tucking his stuff on his back and dropping his bag before ordering, "Claws in." Plagg spiraled out of his ring.

"Hmph, you're lucky Tikki's here," he chided, "Or I never would've agreed to this." He smiled.

"I just would've come without you. I _can_ sneak out of the house on my own." He rolled his eyes.

"Whatever pleases you kid." They were interrupted by the sound of an opening door. Marinette poked her head out from her room, smiling up at him with a cheeky grin.

"Why what a surprise! I didn't expect to find a model on my balcony." He blushed, waving a hand.

"Hi princess." She raised an eyebrow. Without saying a word, she climbed out, walking over to him. Adrien held his breath. Marinette for years had apparently been a shy girl thanks to constant bullying from Chloe and Sabrina but having received the Ladybug earrings changed her; she used that change now to her advantage, walking up to her boyfriend and staring him straight in the eyes. There was a fire there.

"What's wrong?"

"I can't come visit my girlfriend from time to time?" He kissed her forehead. She crossed her arms.

"Adrien Agreste, I know you too well to know that this is a casual visit. You can't lie to me. What's wrong?"

"Nothing Mari," he lied again, "I promise. I'm just here to visit." Her glare didn't fade for a few seconds but he held his breath, waiting. Eventually, she sighed. Taking his hand, she led him inside, and only released him when he was securely in the room and sitting on her lounge. Tikki flew out of hiding, colliding in mid-air with Plagg. They tumbled for a bit before coming to a stop. She nuzzled his cheek and he grumbled about being happy to see her again. Mari chuckled. Leaning down, she poked Adrien's nose with a smile.

"Wait here. I'll go get some drinks and cookies." He paled.

"What about your parents?"

"Conveniently out of town," she smirked, heading towards her door, "so you can spend the whole night if you'd like." He relaxed , his shoulders slumping forward just a bit. Tikki and Plagg floated around the room for a bit, playing a game of tag, until Marinette came back with a tray loaded with cookies, cheese, and croissants for all of them. The kwamis politely took one of their favorites and flew over to the desk. Adrien took a croissant, kissing her cheek. She handed him the tray. "Wait here." He took it and watched her as she climbed back up to her bed. Pillows started to rain from above. Adrien cried out, placing the tray on the lounge behind him before it was accidently knocked down.

"Marinette," he gasped. "What in the world are you doing?"

Her head appeared over the railing, "I'm gathering pillows and blankets." The long cat pillow flew next. Adrien caught it. She came down after it. Without stopping, she started moving her lounge and desk chair so that she could take the blanket and drape it over the two of them, effectively making the spot look like a little tent.

"That still doesn't tell me what's going on."

She smiled, grabbing some of the fallen pillows and tossing them inside. When that was done, she walked up to him, a sultry smile on her face that made him blush. She reached up, taking the cat pillow from him, making sure to brush her hands on his. He swallowed hard. "Isn't it obvious Mr. Agreste? I'm making a blanket fort." She turned before he could say anything. Climbing back in, she placed the cat pillow in such a way that they had a place to lay their heads, and she poked her head back out, asking, "Are you coming?"

Adrien dropped to all fours and climbed in. Inside was dark but cozy; Mari moved out of the way a bit so he could have the most room, leaning back on the cat pillow. She curled up next to him. Her head rested neatly on his shoulder. He wrapped his arm around her.

They stayed silent for a little bit, just enjoying the feeling of being near each other.

She broke the silence first, "When I was a kid, I tried to keep my worries to myself. I didn't want to bother my parents; after all, they were busy building a life with the bakery. They didn't need the worries of a child on top of that." Her hand traced lazy circles on his chest, causing his breathing to hitch. "But my mom was having none of that. She'd always make me a blanket fort and we'd climb inside and I was allowed to cry and scream and get rid of all my worries that way." She sat up, leaning over him. Adrien didn't realize he had tears in his eyes until she moved, causing him to blink. He sniffed. "And I want that to be the same for you." He took a shaky breath before hugging her close. Mari buried her face in his chest. It took a minute but eventually, he confessed to everything. His father, his mother, feeling like he's always in a cage, balancing work and hobbies and school and being a superhero, how much he just wishes for once he could be treated like a human and not a pawn or some award or trophy and allowed to live as freely as everyone else.

Minutes passed in this fashion. Mari didn't interrupt. She merely rubbed her hand soothingly on his chest and shoulders, listening. When he finished, they fell into silence. There was nothing left to say. The stress of it all, finally released, left him exhausted. He kissed the top of her head, hugging her close as he slowly drifted off to sleep.

It didn't take her long to follow suit. The next morning, they woke, tangled around each other, a smile plastered on their faces as they moved for a good morning kiss (much to the chagrin of Plagg who gagged in the background while Tikki giggled and elbowed him in the side).


	7. 4 AM

_Summary: It's 4 AM and definitely time for a certain artist to go to sleep. Maybe hearing it from a superhero will convince him to._

 **Author's Notes: Oh Queen Bee. Did you really help in the end since he stayed up an extra hour for you? Well, at least tomato son eventually did go to sleep. This is for miraculousfluffmonth's Day 7 prompt!**

 **(Also, guess who went back to work and is currently in a state of DYING?)**

Nathaniel rubbed his eyes. He'd been working on a new painting since about ten o'clock last night; long after he kissed his mother good-night and told her he was going to bed. A quick glance told him it was late. Er… early. He had to bite back a groan when he saw the flashing numbers of 4:00 on his digital clock. He stretched. Good thing it was the weekend and he didn't have to go to school today. The image had burned in his mind since Monday. He'd dreamed it, suffocated in it. It demanded to be let out. So, late on Friday night, he did; releasing it in swirls of warm colors accented in black.

His mom was going to kill him but it was so worth it.

He stood from his stool for a moment, taking a break, quietly sneaking out of his room to get some water before sliding back in to stare at the picture. It had one occupant on it. Paris' newest hero, Queen Bee. The background was abstract, swirls of reds and oranges with accenting lines of black. It wasn't bad. It wasn't near done though.

There was a lot more work to do and once he finished his drink, he sat the cup on a side table, before he rolled up his sleeves again and sat down to get started.

A knock at his window startled him. He dropped his paint brush with a soft clatter, panicking that his mother had heard but when he didn't hear any movement, he sighed, stooping over to pick it up. He turned to the window and nearly dropped it again. Hovering outside, dressed in her signature yellow and black outfit, was Queen Bee, the very person he was currently painting. He panicked for real this time, scrambling for any nearby cloth to quickly throw over it before he went to the window, sliding it open with a breathy, "Queen Bee! Wh-What a surprise!" She eyed him up and down. Crossing her arms, she raised an eyebrow. He blushed. When a few minutes passed, she grunted out, "Well? Are you going to invite me in?" He blinked before stepping out of the way. She flew in, landing quietly on his floor. He shut the window as she looked around.

Nathaniel's room was messier than she expected; paint brushes and paint were everywhere as were several used art easels with different, unfinished works on them, and sketches of all kinds decorated practically every wall there was to see except for a small space that had a series of photos on it. Nathaniel with his mom, she guessed. Him with the class. Candids that looked to have been taken by a certain Ladyblogger. Backstage pics of him working on the set designs when the class did some Shakespeare play a month ago. Surprisingly, there was even one of her. She narrowed her eyes. Not current her-her but civilian her-her. It looked like it was taken without her knowledge; she was talking on the phone, about what she couldn't remember, but it seems that she was… genuinely smiling. She'd never seen her face so soft before. It was… rather beautiful but only a blind man would miss that. He cleared his throat, "So, how can I help you Queen Bee?" She snapped around, slightly surprised by his voice. Oops.

"You can help me by telling me why you're up at four AM on a Saturday instead of sleeping in like most people." He raised an eyebrow.

"What about you?" She waved a hand.

"I'm a superhero. If Hawkmoth won't sleep then neither will I. But you," she jabbed him in the shoulder, "are a civilian who needs to rest. So I'll ask again: why are you up?" A raging blush took his nose and her eyes darted over to the painting he'd covered. He saw her eyes though. In near perfect synchronization, they lunged for it, him to stop her and her to find the secret, but she was just a bit faster thanks to her miraculous. She yanked the cloth off. She froze. Nathaniel jumped in front, trying to cover it but failing miserably. "Did you… Did you paint that?"

Cripes. She saw. He swallowed, messing with the neckline of his shirt and looking anywhere but at her, "Y-yeah. I couldn't get it out of my mind. It's been bothering me all week so I finally decided to do something about it. So I started painting last night and I worked all night on it and…."

He was rambling.

God, smite him now.

God didn't answer of course. Instead, Queen Bee did, gently pushing him aside so she could see it perfectly. Her eyes went wide; she'd seen some of his work before, how well he'd done Marinette when he'd drawn her, but this was… this was true art. It stole her breath. She could practically feel the warmth and love radiating off of it and it amazed her at how heroic she looked through someone else's eyes. She started to run her fingers over it but he grabbed her wrist, stopping her and drawing her eyes to his face. They were soft.

"It's not dry," he warned. "You'll smear the lines and ruin your outfit." She snatched her hand back, glad her mask covered her cheeks.

"Right. Sorry." She looked at it again, then him, then it. "When will it be done?" He rubbed his eyes.

"If I keep going…."

"After you sleep."

"Then tomorrow night." He paused. "Why?" She smiled.

"Because it's a wonderful painting and I want to buy it off of you."

"I'm not selling." She crossed her arms.

"And why not?"

"It's not even that good."

"Good is a perception of the eyes."

"It's not perfect."

"Nothing is."

"It's…." She raised a finger to silence him. Nathaniel blinked at the black digit on his lips. Oh man. He seriously wanted to kiss it.

"I love it Nathaniel," she assured him. "And I would love to own it. I'm willing to pay for it. Just name your price." He sighed, taking her hand and pulling it off of his lips, holding it waist high.

"Fine. You want my price?"

"Yes," she breathed.

He started to lean in. Her face paled. Did he want a kiss? Was that going to be his payment? Her very first kiss? She closed her eyes and waited for the sensation of lips on lips but it never came; instead, he leaned closer to her ear and whispered, "I want you to go home and go to bed." She blinked, staring at him confused as he leaned back with a cocky smirk on his lips. She glared. Queen Bee smacked him in the shoulder.

"I'll only go if you do! No more working on this until you've at least gotten 8 hours."

"I can't promise that," he waged a finger. "My mother might need me sooner than that."

"Fine, at least five hours of sleep." He chuckled softly.

"That I can do." She wrung her hands in front of her, looking to the floor.

"Can- Can I come back tomorrow night?"

He smiled. "My house is your house. You're welcomed to visit whenever you'd like." She snickered.

"Don't think this is a regular occurrence artist-boy." She walked to the window, pushing it open before stepping on the ledge and out, the magic helping her to float. "Get to bed. I'll expect you to keep your promise!" He leaned his head on the sill, waving a hand. "Bonne nuit Nathaniel." She took off.

"Bonne nuit," he whispered to the darkness, "my queen." When she was out of sight, he closed the window, chuckling to himself as he realized that she hadn't asked to come back for the painting specifically; it made his heart swell and helped him fall asleep almost instantly when he finally collapsed on his bed.

It was five AM.


End file.
